


Understanding

by multilefaiye



Series: Alternate Circumstances [3]
Category: Hannibal (TV), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Gen, Hannibal Season One, I'm new to AO3, In the future 'cause this is Hannibal, Listen okay I didn't know what to rate this help, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Thor (2011), Probably gonna be slow to update sorry, Rated For Violence, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, Tags May Change, They'll be friends before they get together aw yiss, these tags are a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-06-08 21:47:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6874897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/multilefaiye/pseuds/multilefaiye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki has settled into life on Midgard and actually finds himself enjoying it, and growing to enjoy Will's presence. When he decides to accompany Will on a case, however, things take a turn for the worse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Canapé

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, jeez, that summary... ahHh. Sorry this took so long! I've had the first chapter written for a loooong time, but only just got the chance to go back and edit it all last night. But, the main story for this 'verse can finally get underway, now!
> 
> This'll go through all of season one of Hannibal, and from there... I'm not sure, honestly. I'll be basing it mostly off the original scripts for the show, with edits as I see fit to add them.
> 
> Thank you for your interest and I hope you enjoy!

                The lecture hall was never packed when Loki chose to visit, but he always managed to hide in the crowd of trainees, entirely unnoticed. He sat with his elbow resting on the desk before him, chin perched on his fist. Loki watched as Will talked, barely noting the gruesome scenes displayed by the projector. He barely heard the Midgardian’s words, carefully watching his face and movements.

                Will had a far-away look in his eyes that intrigued Loki, as he recounted the details of the case in a serious tone. Loki barely stopped himself from reaching out and taking a peek inside Will’s mind, just to see what he was thinking about as he lectured. The god’s slight smile became a smirk.

                Finally, Will seemed to come back to himself, looking at the trainees gathered around him. His gaze drifted over Loki, and the god barely restrained a snicker. The Midgardian immediately looked right in his direction with a frown. Will shook his head and let out a barely audible sigh, gesturing back to the screen as more images of the gruesome murder were displayed.

                “Now think about killing Mrs. Marlow,” he said, voice monotone but clear in the silence of the room. He continued, “Why did she deserve this? Tell me your design. Tell me who you are.”

                With that, Will turned and switched off the projector, signaling the end of the lecture. Around Loki, the various trainees stood and began filing out, talking quietly among themselves. The god remained seated, watching them with a bored expression.

                Loki’s smirk returned as he stood gracefully, stretching slightly He walked purposefully over to Will’s podium, green eyes flashing as he leaned against it.

                “Professor,” he started, only to be interrupted.

                “Loki, didn’t we have a talk about you sneaking into my lectures?” he deadpanned.

                “We did,” the god agreed, “but I never said I wouldn’t come watch you work.” His grin returned, as he added, “I find I learn a lot in your classes. Midgardians truly can be cruel to each other.”

                “You don’t know the half of it,” Will said, rolling his eyes. “But I’d prefer it if you didn’t sneak in. Says some _unfortunate_ things about the building’s security that you haven’t been caught yet.”

                Before Loki could respond, he paused as he took note of another Midgardian entering the room. A weathered-looking man was approaching the podium, looking at the pair curiously. Will rushed to adjust his glasses, busying himself with the papers piled atop his podium. Loki looked to the newcomer in mild interest.

                “Mr. Graham,” the man called as he approached. He met Loki’s eyes and blinked in surprise. “Ah, am I interrupting?” Loki shook his head.

                Will did not respond, gathering his notes and blatantly ignoring the other Midgardian. The newcomer looked to Loki again, and the god shrugged.

                “He’s not in the mood,” Loki explained. “What do you want?”

                “I’m afraid it’s very important that I speak with him,” the other Midgardian said. Again, Loki shrugged, and the man sighed almost in frustration.

                The newcomer turned to Will and started, “I’m Special Agent Jack Crawford. I lead the Behavioral Analysis Unit.”

                “We’ve met,” Will cut in. Crawford nodded, smiling tightly.

                “Yes,” he said, amused, “we had a disagreement about the museum when we opened it.”

                “I disagreed with what you named it,” the other man insisted.

                “The Evil Minds Research Museum?”

                “I think I agree with Will,” Loki interrupted. Crawford looked at him, unimpressed.

                “Friend of yours?” he asked, eyeing Will.

                “You could say that,” Will muttered drily, finishing putting away his notes.

                Loki plastered a false, warm smile on his face and extended a hand to Crawford, nodding.

                “Agent Lukas Strand,” he lied smoothly. “I’m an old friend of Will’s, here for a visit. It’s a pleasure.” Loki gently and discreetly soothed the skepticism he could feel coming from the Midgardian. Will gaped at him, then scowled, but did nothing to correct the god.

                “Ah, well,” said Crawford. “Do you often attend Will’s lectures, Strand?”

                “Every now and then,” Loki admitted with a slight shrug. “But you didn’t answer my earlier question: what do you want?”

                “I just want to talk.” Crawford gave Loki a pointed look. “In private.”

                The god almost laughed, rolling his eyes as he prodded at the agent’s mind, soothing the discomfort at Loki’s presence. Will sighed in frustration, and Crawford blinked in a mix of surprise and confusion.

                “I won’t be a bother,” Loki said smoothly, smiling warmly, “I promise. But, anything you have to say to Will, you can surely say while I’m here.” He carefully ignored looking in Will’s direction, but could easily feel the glare being sent his way.

                Crawford paused, giving Loki a calculating look, but nodded at another gentle prod at his mind. He turned away from the god, talking quietly with Will as Loki pretended not to eavesdrop.

                The two’s conversation proved to be far less interesting than Loki had assumed it would be, the god barely avoiding rolling his eyes. He stopped paying attention early on, only to look back curiously a moment later.

                “But you can emphasize with narcissists and psychopaths,” Crawford was saying, and Loki looked at Will out of the corner of his eye. He’d learned early on of the Midgardian’s ability, but had yet to learn any details beyond the most basic of information.

                Crawford and Will were closer together now, Will making timid, almost bored eye contact with the other man. In the entire month Loki had spent with the Midgardian, he had never managed that feat, and narrowed his eyes at the pair.

                “I can emphasize with anyone,” Will said. “It has less to do with personality disorders than an active imagination.”

                Crawford smiled. “Can I borrow your imagination?”

                Will had only just nodded when Loki interjected, “I’m coming along as well.”

                Immediately, the older man shook his head, frowning as he said, “No, Strand. I appreciate the offer, but I only need Will.”

                Loki forced a smile as he poked and prodded at the man’s mind. Just as Crawford was made to accept Loki’s presence, Will spoke up.

                “It’s fine, Jack,” he said. “If you turn him down he’ll just find some way to follow us anyway. You may as well save us both he trouble.” Crawford looked at them contemplatively for a moment, then sighed and nodded.

                “Alright,” Crawford agreed, “if you say so. Just follow me; we have no time to waste.” With that, he turned and walked briskly out of the lecture hall.

                Will slung his bag over his shoulder and began following the other man. Loki moved to walk just behind him, but stopped when the other whirled on him.

                “What the hell are you doing?” Will hissed.

                “I just want to help!” Loki insisted, feigning offense. “Why, I’m appalled you would assume I have ulterior motives!”

                “You’ve told me many times how you can tolerate no one on Midgard,” the other replied drily, “and that I’m only an exception because you’re _forced_ to put up with me. Pardon me for not thinking you’ve had a sudden change of heart.”

                Loki smirked, patting Will’s shoulder and laughing, “You know me so well after only a month? I’m flattered.”

                “So why-“

                “Truthfully, I’m curious,” Loki interrupted, shrugging. “Whatever Crawford wants you for, it’s bound to be far more interesting than just staying in your home all day.”

                Will stared at him, then sighed resignedly, “Alright, fine, I see I can’t stop you.” He adjusted his glasses, moving them down the bridge of his nose.

                Loki brightened, patting Will’s shoulder again as he said brightly, “Excellent! Now, let’s not keep Crawford waiting, shall we?” He sauntered quickly out of the lecture hall, Will following behind at a more sedate pace.

 

                As they walked across the academy grounds, Loki listened in as Crawford described the case to Will.

                “Eight girls from eight different Minnesota campuses,” he said, “abducted in the last eight months.”

                “I read about this one,” Will commented. “I thought there were seven.”

                “There were,” Crawford replied.

                “When was the eighth reported?” Loki asked, pointedly trying not to be left out of the discussion.

                “About three minutes before I walked into Will’s lecture hall,” Crawford answered.

                “And you’re calling them ‘abductions’ because you have no bodies?” Will asked.

                “We have _nothing_ ,” Crawford explained. “No bodies, no parts of bodies, nothing that comes out of bodies. We have lonely swabs in used evidence kits.

                “Then they weren’t taken from where you think they were,” Will said at the same moment that Loki said, “Either your team’s incompetent or you’re searching the wrong area.”

                “My team _knows_ what they’re doing,” the man retorted, looking at Will. “And where _were_ they taken from, then?”

                “I don’t know, someplace else,” Will said. Loki snorted, then held up his hands defensively when Will sent him a sharp look.

 

                In Crawford’s office on the other side of the academy, an impressive bulletin board had already been set up. Seven pictures of seven young girls were pinned to it, with string connecting them to various places on a map. Loki surveyed each picture, noting the many similarities. Save for slight differences in their facial features, the girls were nearly identical.

                After a moment, Will stepped past him and reached up, pinning a new picture to the board. Like all the others, she was a petite brunette with bright eyes, smiling gently for the camera. She was Elise Nichols, Crawford had said. The girl had been missing only a few days, never having made it home to housesit for her parents and watch their cat. Belatedly, Loki listened in on the conversation happening nearby as he studied the pictures.

                “It’s not about all of these girls,” he heard Will explain. “It’s about one of them.”

                Will turned his back to the board and crossed his arms. He continued, “He’s like Willy Wonka. Every girl he takes is a candy bar. Hidden amongst all those candy bars is the one, true, intended victim, which, if we follow through on the metaphor, would be the Golden Ticket.”

                “The question here is whether he’s warming up for his Golden Ticket,” Crawford murmured, “or reliving whatever he already did to her.”

                “Should we assume the ‘Golden Ticket’ is already dead?” Loki asked. Will shook his head.

                “Golden Ticket wouldn’t be the first taken,” he explained, “and she wouldn’t be the last, either. He’ll hide how special she is. I mean, I would. Wouldn’t you?”

                “I suppose so…”

                “I’d like you to get closer to this,” Crawford cut in, looking pointedly at Will. He nodded in Loki’s direction, adding, “You could even bring Agent Strand with you, if you wanted.”

                “You have Heimlich at Harvard and Bloom at Georgetown,” Will replied drily. “They do the same thing I do, and you have plenty of other agents. You don’t need either of us.”

                “Now, Will, I think this is worth looking into,” Loki said. He reached out with his mind, probing gently at Will’s own, and barely restrained a smile when he was met with a sharp glare in response. Crawford watched them, bemused.

                “Whether it’s worth it or not doesn’t matter,” Will shot back. “They have plenty of other options; I’m not going back into the field.”

                “Will, your specific way of thinking would be very useful for solving this case.” Crawford almost looked pleading.

                “’Specific way of thinking’?” Loki parroted back, hoping to learn more about Will’s abilities.

                “How long have you known Will, again?”

                The god shrugged, replying, “I prefer to let others keep their secrets hidden as they so please.”

                Will snorted, ignoring the scowl Loki sent in his direction. He uncrossed his arms and stretched slightly, resting his hands on the table behind him. After a brief moment, he looked to Crawford, raising an eyebrow.

                “Has there been a lot of discussion about the way I think?” he asked.

                “You make jumps even you can’t explain,” the man pointed out.

                Will exhaled, explaining in a sharp tone, “The _evidence_ explains, Jack.”

                “Then help me find some evidence,” said Crawford.

                Will groaned, turning back to look at the faces on the board. He studied each one quietly, barely even breathing. Then, he turned his head slightly to look over at Crawford.

                “That…” he sighed. “…may require me to be sociable.” Will said it like it was the worst anyone could expect of him.

                “I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Crawford looked over to Loki. “And will Strand be joining you?”

                “Yes, yes I will,” Loki replied quickly, smiling smugly at Will’s annoyed frown. “I’d like to help any way I can, sir.”

 

                “Loki,” Will began later, as they drove to the airport, “what are you doing?”

                “What do you mean?” Loki asked, thumbing through a travel guide from where he sat in the passenger seat.

                “You know exactly what I mean. “Everything. Pretending you’re an agent, using your powers to get away with it, coming along for this case… are you _that_ bored at home?”

                “Your dogs are not the greatest of company, Will,” Loki replied. “Yes, I _am_ ‘that bored at home’.”

                Will opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted when the god continued, “Now, I have a question for you.” The Midgardian looked at him expectantly, and he frowned before he asked, “Who is Willy Wonka and why is he hiding tickets in candy bars? And what does he have to do with the killer?”

               

 

                Hours later, they were gathered in the home of Elise Nichols, the latest victim. The woman’s parents were fraught with worry, Crawford speaking to them gently. Will was standing nearby, looking at the various pieces of furniture and photographs in the home. Loki sat with Crawford, ignoring the family.

                Loki tuned out most of the conversation, only tuning in when Will spoke.

                “How’s the cat?” the Midgardian asked casually, peering suspiciously at one of the pictures on the wall.

                “Ah, what?” asked Mrs. Nichols, furrowing her brow.

                “How’s your cat?” Will repeated. “Elise was supposed to feed it.”

                Loki caught on to the other’s point and interrupted, “If Elise never made it home, the cat would never have been fed. It had to have been starving when you returned.”

                The pair looked at each other almost in confusion, before Mr. Nichols said, “I… I didn’t notice.”

                Will nodded as though that answered everything, sharing a look with Loki. The god paused, then gave his own nod in agreement. He made no move to peer into Will’s mind, but could guess what the Midgardian was thinking. Elise had been taken from her home, not wherever she was last seen.

                Crawford got to his feet and went to join Will, speaking with him quietly. After a brief moment, the man nodded and pulled out his phone. The god listened patiently as he dialed, noting the man’s serious expression.

                “The Nichols house is a crime scene,” Crawford barked into his phone. “I need ERT immediately. Zeller, Katz, Jimmy Price, a photographer.”

                “Why is it now a crime scene?” Mr. Nichols asked nervously.

                “Can I see your daughter’s room?” Will asked in lieu of an answer.

                “Police were up there this morning,” the man protested. Loki frowned and prodded sharply at the Midgardian’s mind. Mr. Nichols shook his head slowly, then nodded at Will. The god smiled gently in approval.

                At once, he began to lead the Midgardian upstairs. When Loki moved to follow, Will held up a hand to stop him.

                “Wait here,” he insisted. Without waiting for a response, he turned and followed Mr. Nichols the rest of the way.

 

                The people Crawford had requested had yet to even arrive when Loki heard a flurry of activity upstairs. He stood and walked quickly up the steps, until he saw Will and the father standing before an open door, presumably Elise’s. An annoyed meow sounded as Mr. Nichols dropped the cat bundled in his arms, the animal stalking away.

                “Will?” Loki asked. “What’s wrong?” He drew closer, leaning around them to look inside. Then he froze.

                Elise Nichols was lying on her bed, dressed neatly in a white dress, face relaxed as if she was sleeping. However, the god noticed soon how still the girl was, and that she wasn’t breathing. The sudden realization drew a wince from Loki, which turned into a grimace as he noted the dark blood blotching her dress.

                “Oh,” he said.


	2. Salmagundi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The case finally has the leads it needed, and back in Virginia, a new friend joins the pack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I only just got the time, energy, and motivation to actually work on this x-x I can't promise I'll be consistent or stick to an update schedule, but I'll do my best to keep the next chapter from taking quite as long as this one did.
> 
> By the way, I fixed up the last one a little bit, 'cause I caught some tiny errors I missed when I initially edited it. Sorry! o_o If you catch anything I missed in THIS chapter, let me know so I can fix it! I'm not perfect at editing and probably never will be, so all help is appreciated.
> 
> (Also, I'd like to thank everyone who's shown interest so far! Thank you! I hope you like what I do with this ^^")

                The time it took for the people Crawford had called to arrive passed by in a blur for Loki. He had carefully guided Will out of the room and back downstairs, sitting him down at the table. Will didn’t speak, a thoughtful look on his face. Loki briefly considered reaching out, finding what was on the mortal’s mind, but immediately decided against it.

                Mr. and Mrs. Nichols could be heard just outside, talking to the agents when they came. They were insisting they had no idea how the body had gotten there, while voices unfamiliar to the god assured them they were not under suspicion.

                Will snorted quietly, and Loki sent him a curious look.

                “Isn’t it obvious?” the Midgardian muttered. “The killer decided to bring her back.”

                “Why would he?” Loki asked. “Crawford said nothing was left of the others. What makes this one different from the rest?”

                “Good question,” Crawford interjected as he joined them. The man looked weary, but determined, as he continued, looking right at Will, “I’m going to have Katz, Price, and Zeller look over the scene briefly, then it’s all yours.”

                Will grunted quietly, falling quiet once again. A group passed them on their way up the stairs, nodding politely to Crawford as they passed but otherwise not acknowledging the three. A small woman approached Will and tapped his shoulder to get his attention, smiling when he looked in her direction. Loki noticed him barely flinch, stopping at the last moment from doing so.

                “Come on,” she said, “let’s get you all wired up, alright?”

                “May as well,” Will replied.

                The Midgardian allowed her to lead him away, leaving Crawford and Loki alone. The god looked over at him, furrowing his brow.

                “Wired?” he asked.

                “Will can’t work when others are in the room,” Crawford explained, giving him an odd look. “I thought you’d know that, being an old friend.”

                “Like I said, I prefer to let others keep their secrets to themselves.” Loki smiled thinly. “We never did speak of work.”

                “Well, he can’t work with others, and we need the information he supplies. So, we wire him.”

 

                Once Will was ready, Crawford left the house and joined the crowd of officers outside, bringing Loki along. The god watched with a bored frown as they worked. An ambulance had even been called, the Nichols being seen to in the back.

                Loki leaned against the fence closing off the family home’s front yard, crossing his arms. One of the agents, a tired-looking woman, approached him.

                “What are you doing loitering around?” she asked. “Fresh crime scene and you have nothing to do?”

                “It’s not exactly fresh,” Loki pointed out. “The body has to have been there for hours now.”

                “It’s plenty fresh compared to some of the scenes I’ve worked, trust me.” She fiddled with the blue gloves covering her hands. “Seriously, why aren’t you doing anything?”

                “It looks like your team has everything covered,” Loki explained. “Besides, I’m only waiting for Will.”

                “You mean Graham, right?”

                “Of course.”

                “Are you his handler, or something?” Loki blinked, narrowing his eyes at her.

                “What do you mean?”

                She gave a wry smile, elaborating, “I mean, not to be rude, but Will has a bit of a reputation. I figured, if Jack wanted him in the field again, he’d have gotten someone to keep an eye on him. You know, make sure he doesn’t get too deep.”

                “Well…” Loki paused, frowning thoughtfully. Would calling himself Will’s handler make it easier for him to stay on the case? At the very least, it would stop this Midgardian from bothering him. He smiled warmly at her.

                “Yes,” he said, “you could say that. We don’t generally refer to it as such, though. Will prefers to call me his friend.”

                “Huh.” The woman looked behind her, gesturing with one hand to the house. “Shouldn’t you be over there with him, then?”

                “Will prefers to do his work without any outside presence,” Loki explained smoothly. “Unfortunately, I count as outside presence.”

                “That makes two of us.” The woman snorted. She extended her hand to Loki. “I’m Beverly Katz, by the way. I’m the hair and fibers specialist.”

                Loki stared for a moment, then reached out and shook her hand gently. He recalled what he had overheard of Crawford’s earlier call, looking at the woman curiously.

                “Crawford asked for you specifically,” he said. “You must be excellent in your field, then.”

                She smirked at him and released his hand. “Aw, you flatter me. I’m just here to do my job, figure out what happened to this poor girl.”

                “Have you found anything vital at the scene, yet?”

                “I’m afraid not,” Katz sighed. “So far, I found the normal stuff. Hair from the girl, the cat. The killer was thorough, I’ll give him that.” She paused abruptly, frowning.

                Loki reached out to her mind, poking and prodding as he asked, “There’s something else, wasn’t there?”

                She stared at him, and shook her head, explaining, “I’m not sure how, but, yeah. I found antler velvet in two of the wounds so far. I was about to check the others, but then Jack made me get out so Graham could do his part.”

                “Antler velvet?” Loki uncrossed his arms and looked towards the house again. He could see Will sitting on the roof, chin on his knees. The god frowned and tilted his head. The Midgardian stood abruptly and turned, climbing through a window into Elise’s bedroom.

                Loki shook his head, and said, “That is…curious, I will admit. It would do well for you to have another look.”

                “Well, I’m gonna have to wait a while for that,” Katz snorted. “I don’t know how long it’ll take him to do his thing. I haven’t worked with him before.”

                “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you simply took a brief look,” Loki said. “As long as you leave him alone, he’ll let you find what you need.”

                “You sure?” Katz raised an eyebrow.

                “I’m sure,” he replied.

                “Alright, I’ll take your word for it.” She sent him a grateful smirk. “Thanks, by the way.”

                Loki waved her off as she walked away, deigning not to respond.

 

                Loki was once again interrupted when Crawford approached him, face hard and worried. A thin, bearded man followed, looking curiously at the god.

                “Strand,” Crawford barked, “have you seen anyone enter the Nichols residence unsupervised?”

                “Besides Will?”

                “ _Yes_ , besides Will!” he snapped. “I ordered everyone out so he could work alone, but one of my team is unaccounted for.”

                “Oh, I see!” Loki gasped playfully, clasping his hands together thoughtfully. “Hm, I do believe I saw one agent return to the crime scene. What was her name…? Katz?”

                “Of course,” scoffed the bearded man, “she didn’t even bring me or Jimmy along.”

                “Thank you, Strand,” Crawford said. He sighed and turned back towards the house, stalking inside with the bearded man in tow. Loki followed behind them smoothly.

                They found Katz in Elise Nichols’s bedroom with Will, in the middle of a conversation with the Midgardian.

                “You unstable?” Loki heard her ask as they entered. He noticed Will standing as far away from her as possible, visibly uncomfortable and even shaking. Katz, meanwhile, looked mostly unaffected as she surveyed the bed with her tweezers.

                 “You’re not supposed to be in here,” Crawford said to her.

                “I found antler velvet in two of the wounds,” Katz explained. She held up her tweezers, displaying a piece of the velvet. “I was in the middle of checking the other one for more when you called us out.”

                The bearded man moved to join her, standing close to Will. The other Midgardian shuffled away quietly, not meeting the eyes of anyone in the room.

                “Deer and elk pin their prey, put all their weight on their antlers, and try to suffocate them,” he informed them. “That’s how they’d kill a fox or coyote.”

                “Elise Nichols is not a fox or a coyote,” Loki pointed out. “She would be significantly larger.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Will move further away from those gathered in the small bedroom.

                “And it’s not rutting season,” the man sighed. “Male deer aren’t competing for female deer this time of year.”

                Will cleared his throat, and all eyes turned to him. He winced and ran a hand through his obviously damp hair.

                “Antler velvet is rich in nutrients,” Will offered. “It actually promotes healing. The killer may have placed it there on purpose.”

                “You’re saying he may have wanted to undo this?” Crawford raised an eyebrow.

                “As much as he could, given that he’d already killed her.”

                “He brought her home,” Loki mused, “and tucked her back into bed.”

                “Whatever he did to the others, he couldn’t to her,” Will added.

                “Is this the Golden Ticket?” Loki asked.

                “No, it’s an apology.” Will cleared his throat again, looking pained. His shaking began to lessen, but his discomfort was still obviously strong.

                “Does anyone happen to have some Aspirin?” he asked weakly.

 

                Will and Loki were quiet as, in the early hours of the morning, they drove home. The Midgardian had already had several Aspirin tablets, though Loki could easily tell they were having no effect. Without even stretching his powers out, he could feel the throbbing of Will’s head. Loki winced quietly in sympathy. Will didn’t notice the movement, keeping his bleary eyes locked on the road before him.

                Loki blinked as he noticed something up ahead, a small animal trotting along the side of the road. He squinted and leaned forward, catching Will’s attention.

                “What is it?” he asked. Will blinked when he, too, noticed the creature, slowing down as they approached. “Oh.”

                The car slowed to a crawl next to the animal, which they could now see was a dog. The dog’s ginger fur was thick, filthy and matted, and a rope hung around its neck. As they slowed, the dog still seemed to refuse to acknowledge them, determinedly walking along.

                Will rolled down his window and leaned out, smiling gently as he called a soft, “Hello,” to the animal. Finally, the dog acknowledged them, stopping to let them pass. His curiosity satisfied, Loki turned away from the animal, only to pause when he felt the car stop.

                “What are you doing?” he said as Will opened the door and began to step out.

                “That dog needs help,” the Midgardian explained. “Look at him, poor thing’s obviously lost.”

                “Well, the dog doesn’t seem that bothered,” Loki said. “Stop bothering it and let’s continue on our way.”

                Will didn’t respond, taking a step towards the dog. The animal looked up at him, tilting its head, then turned away. Without any more acknowledgement for the pair, the dog began trotting off in the other direction.

                “See?” Loki snorted. “The dog wants nothing to do with you. Leave it be.”

                Will rolled his eyes and ignored the god. For the next several minutes, Will tried and failed to coax the dog to let him near. Every time, it only reacted to his presence by turning and walking in the opposite direction. Loki watched the proceedings disinterestedly, almost falling asleep where he sat.

                Finally, Loki took pity on the Midgardian. He closed his eyes and concentrated, a flash of green light illuminating the car. Loki shifted and compressed his form into a dog similar to the one on the road, but with sleek, black fur.

                Loki leaped from the car and trotted along the road, towards where Will was chasing the wandering dog. The god wagged his tail slowly as he approached, doing his best to appear friendly. The other dog looked at him curiously, again tilting its head.

                Will looked at him and blinked, then sighed. Loki heard him mutter something, but paid no attention to the words. Instead, he determinedly moved so he was standing directly in front of the dog, stopping it from going forward.

                The dog turned again and started to walk away, only to stop when Loki growled lowly in his throat. He stiffly moved to, again, stand just in front of the dog. It gave him a withering glare, which he gladly returned. Loki dimly registered Will standing and returning to the car.

                Soon, the dog perked up and kept walking again, ignoring Loki’s growl and shoving him aside. Loki yelped and whipped around to bark, only to pause. Will had fetched a large, white bag from the car and was rifling through it. He pulled out several sausages, holding them out as peace offerings. The other dog came up to him, wagging its tail slowly. When Will held one of the sausages out, it happily accepted.

                Loki rolled his eyes and joined the pair, sending Will a meaningful look. He stretched and returned to his preferred form in a flash of green light. When he stood up straight, brushing off his chest, he noticed the Midgardian looking at him strangely.

                “You’re welcome,” Loki said, gesturing to the dog. It seemed to have forgotten its earlier distrust, taking to Will immediately.

                Will didn’t reply at first, pulling out another of the thin sausages. He suddenly gave a cheeky smirk. “You want one?” he asked.

                “What I want is for us to go home,” Loki replied. He could hear Will chuckling and slid into his seat, pointedly ignoring the offer.

                “We will, we will,” said Will as he slipped the dog another sausage. “Just a minute.”

 

                When they returned home, Loki immediately went inside, stepping around the swarm of dogs. The animals pressed against him as they rushed to meet their master, but the god pointedly ignored them. Instead, he made his way over to Will’s bed, toeing off his borrowed shoes before lying down on the thin sheets.

                Will, not having a proper guest room, had been allowing Loki to claim the bed as his own for the entire time the god stayed with him. Loki appreciated the gesture, but never mentioned it.

                As the god settled down, he heard Will still moving around on the porch and talking in a low voice to the dogs. The dog they found walking along the road had come with them, now mingling with the rest of Will’s pack. Loki propped his head on his arm, peering through one of the windows to watch them.

                Will had found an old basin and was scrubbing down the dog, which was surprisingly complacent as the man worked. Loki watched as layer after layer of dirt and grime was removed, staining the water a deep brown. From nearby, the other dogs also watched, some of them even drifting off to sleep.

                Loki decided, for once, the dogs had a good idea, and lied back down on the mattress. He closed his eyes, and, within moments, fell into a deep sleep of his own.

 

                Hours later, Loki was awakened by a low whimpering nearby. He kept his eyes closed and felt around the bed, noting that none of the dogs had decided to join him. Loki sat up and stretched slowly, as quietly as he could manage.

                When he opened his eyes and adjusted them to the darkness, he could see the dogs huddled together on the other side of the room. The new dog was sleeping peacefully in a kennel, fur soft and free of dirt. The others gathered around it, seemingly already attached. Loki furrowed his brow and looked around, finally noticing the shaking form on the couch in the center of the room.

                Will was fast asleep, but his face was twisted in worry, brow furrowed and body shaking. The Midgardian was obviously sweating, tossing and turning. Loki frowned in concern as the other whimpered, getting to his feet.

                The god walked quietly across the room and crouched next to Will, watching him carefully. Will stayed asleep, letting out another nervous whine. Loki sighed and reached out, brushing cold fingertips against the Midgardian’s burning, clammy forehead.

                With a soft, barely noticeable push from his powers, Loki soothed the Midgardian’s mind. The amount of turmoil within was surprisingly low, yet still he felt a dull throbbing in Will’s head. Loki supposed it may be expected, given how startled he had been when interrupted earlier.

                Loki’s concerned frown deepened as he felt a sudden pang in his chest. The feeling was sharp and sudden, worsening with every tiny sound from Will’s mouth. He shook his head, grumbling, and pushed harder with his abilities.

                Gradually, Will’s mind eased, and his face relaxed. Loki still felt the dull throbbing in the other’s head, but decided there was little he could do and retracted the outstretched hand of his abilities. Will grew quiet, face peacefully lax in his sleep, and Loki’s frown morphed into something resembling a smile.

                “There,” he murmured, “it’s over now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, Loki turning into a dog was not how I planned for this to go, buuuuut I thought it'd work well. By the way, this is what I imagine dog Loki looks like:  
> 

**Author's Note:**

> Did I make a mistake and forget something while editing? Is my characterization off? Let me know, please, so I can fix it! Thank you and have a wonderful day!


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